Pneumatic knee-pad.



H. P. COMPTON. PNEUMATIC KNEE PAD.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. 15. 1915.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

TMB COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPM co., wASHxNG'rON. D. c.

H. P. COMPTON.

PNEUMATIC KNEE PAD.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15. I9I5.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

` cnrrnn sfrn'rns riarnrrr ernten HENRY PURL COMPTON, FLORENCE, TEXAS.

PNEUMATIC KNEE-PAD.

Application led February 15, 1915.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY PURL COMP- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Florence, in the county of Williamson and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Knee-Pads, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved pneumatic knee pad especially adapted for the use of carpenters, cotton pickers or others who are often required to work in a kneeling position and has as its primary object to provide a device of this character which may be readily applied or removed and which will provide an efficient cushion for the knee.

The invention has as a further object to provide an improved device of this character having as its salient feature, simplicity of.y

construction, but wherein, in use, the bladder employed will, nevertheless, be thoroughly protected from injury. And the invention has as a still further object to provide a construction wherein access to the bladder for the purpose of inflation may be readily had.

Other and incidental objects will appear as the description proceeds and in the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred form of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved knee pad showing the attaching straps in coacting relation, Fig. 2 is a section more particularlyillustrating the detail construction of the device, Fig. 3 is a hori- Zontal section showing the disposition of the closure flap, the attaching straps being partly broken away, and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the body ofthe device or shoe, with the closure member and attaching straps removed, this view particularly illustrating the construction of the shoe at one end.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, my improved device includes a body portion or shoe indicated as a whole in Fig. 1 of the drawings, by the numeral 10. rThe shoe is preferably formed from a single piece of suitable leather, although it is to be understood that any other suitable material may be employed. Adjacent one end,`the piece of leather providing the shoe 10 is slit transversely from opposite sides and the side margins of the piece of leather are bent lat- Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

Serial No. 8,436.

erally and upwardly toward each other to provide sides 11 extending at substantially right angles to the intermediate portion of the shoe. Gne end margin of the piece of leather and defined by said slits is then bent upwardly in a direction with the sides 11 to form an end wall 12, the terminals of said wall providing fiaps 13 embracing the adjacent ends of the sides 11 and seating against the outer faces thereof. A plurality of rivets 11 or other suitable fastening devices are employed for securing the flaps 13 to the adjacent ends of the sides 11 and it is to be noted that the end wall 12 together with the flaps 13 is somewhat greater in width than the sides 11 as best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing. As illustrated in this figure, the inner ends of the sides 11 are pref* erably skived as shown at 15.

Arranged within the shoe 10 is a flexible closure member 16 which is of a width equal to the distance between the sides 11 and is of a length preferably slightly less than the length of the bottom wall 17 of the shoe. The side margins of the closure member 16 are secured to the sides 11 at a point intermediate the transverse width thereof, preferably by a single line of stitching 18 which extends to connect one end of the closure member with the bottoni wall 17 of the shoe as shown at 18, the adjacent end of the closure member being inwardly spaced from the outer end edge of the shoe as best shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. By this arrangement, it will be observed that the closure member 16 is free at its inner end adjacent the end wall 12 and is provided upon its inner face adjacent the free margin thereof, with a reinforcing strip 19. In this connection, it may be stated that the closure member 16 is preferably formed from a single piece of suitable flexible leather and is provided upon the inner side thereof with a preferably canvas facing 20, the facing 2O being also secured at its margins to the side walls 11 and tothe bottom wall 17, by the line of stitching 18 and 18. The reinforcing strip 19 is also preferably formed from a single piece of suitable flexible leather` and arranged in said strip and in the adjacent free margin of the `member 16, are a plurality of transversely spaced eyelets adapted to detachably receive a leather thong 20 or other suitable HeXible element, which is adapted to be laced through a plurality of similarly spaced openings 21 formed in the end Wall 12, adj acent the upper' edge thereof for detachably connecting the free margin of the member Y and is adapted to be inflated inany suitable manner.

Secured at one end to the inner face of the end wall l2, intermediate the transverse width thereof, preferably by a single line of stitching 28, is a closure flap 2%, t-he free end of the said flap being adapted to overlie the adjacent end of the bladderv 22 and Vnormally extending longitudinally thereof beneath the free end of the member 16. ln ythev provision of this flap 24, the bladder22, upon being'inilated, will be prevented from coming in contact with the connection between the member 16 and the end wall 12 to thereby effectually obviate any possibility ,of in jury to the bladder.

Secured to the upper free margins of the sides 11 adjacent the outer ends thereof, are a pair of coacting attaching straps 25 and 26, the said straps being each connected at one end with the adjacent wall 11 in any suitable manner as by a rivet 27. Arranged upon the upper margins of the flaps 13 adjacent the outer ends thereof, are a pair of buckles 28, suitably connected with said flaps and adapted to adjustably receive the free extremities of the straps 25 and 26.

In the use of the device, the knee and the adjacent portion of the shin of the wearer is positioned upon the member 16 within the shoe 10 with the open end of the shoe presented toward the foot. The straps 25 and 26 are then crossed over each other intermediate their ends in the rear of the leg at the knee joint, and are suitably connected with the buckles 28. 1t will therefore be seen that said straps will securely hold the device in vproper operative position with the knee of the user confronting the bladder 22 to be supported thereby, while, when desired, the pad may be readily detached.

Particular attention is now directed to the exceedingly simple construction which l provide, the shoe 10 being formed of a single piece of material as is also, in effect, the closure' member 16, while, however, the bladder 22 will be thoroughly protected from injury in the practical use of the pad. Preferably, the outer end edges of the Vflaps 13 are rounded as shown in the drawings as is also the outer edges of the sides 11, this construction adding to the attractive appearance of the article. It is further to be ob served that but a single line of stitching 18 is employed for holding the closure member ,1.6, .in position `within the shoe, while but a single line of stitching 23 is also employed for holding the closure flap 24 in place. lt will therefore be seen that I provide a very efficient construction for the purpose set forth, such as will furnish a thoroughly effective knee pad especially adapted for the purposes previously mentioned.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is '1. An article of the character described including a shoe having a bottom wall, a pneumatic element arranged within the shoe, side walls and one end wall, a closure member secured adjacent its side margins to said side walls and at one end to the bottom wall, to overlie said closure member, the opposite end of vsaid closure member being free and adapted to coact with said Vend wall in inclosing the element, and a closure flap carried by the end wall and extending longitudinally of the shoe beneath the free end of the closure member.

2. An article of the character described including a shoe having a bottom wall, a pneumatic element arranged within the shoe, side wallsV and one end wall, a closure member having its side margins and one end thereof secured to said side and bottom Walls respectively to overlie said closure member, the opposite end of the closure member being free and adapted to coact with the end Wall in inclosing the said element, a closure flap carried by said end wall and projecting longitudinally of the shoe beneath the free end of the closure member, a lacing detachably connecting the free end of the closure member with said end wall, and coacting attaching straps carried permanently connected to the end wall of.

the shoe and extendingfreely beneath the free end of the said closure member to coact therewith in retaining said element, and means detachably connecting the free end of the closure with the said end wall.

4f. A device of the character described including a shoe having a bottom wall, upstanding side Walls, and an upstanding end wall closing one extremity of the shoe and provided With flaps overlying the adjacentV extremities of the sidewalls and fixed thereto, the opposite extremity of the shoe being open, a closure member extending 1ongitudinally within the shoe and secured at its sides by a single line of stitching to the side walls of the shoe and at one end thereof to the bottom wall of the shoe adjacent its open end, the opposite end of the closure member being free and confronting the said end wall of the shoe, a fabric facing carried by the said closure member, a pneumatic element arranged within the shoe beneath the c10- sure member to confront the fabric facing thereof, a flap connected to the said end wall of the shoe and projecting laterally therefrom beneath the free extremity of said closure member to coact therewith in retaining said element, and means connecting the free end of the closure member with the said end wail of the shoe.

5. A. device of the character described inshoe and projecting beneath the free end of the closure member to coact therewith in retaining said element, and means for connecting the free end of the closure member with the shoe.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY PURL COMPTON.

Witnesses:

JNO. MCDOWELL, H. W. ATKINSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

